Bangkok
In recent years Bangkok, Thailand, has become a travel hot spot for people all around the globe. The capital city is home to 8.2 million people however, with the large number of unregistered migrants and commuters there is thought to be closer to 15 million people in the city on any given day. Bangkok has become a business and travel hub for Asia. If you are traveling anywhere in Thailand you will more than likely start your journey here. Bangkok is also ranked as one of the world’s tallest cities with it’s more than 1000 skyscrapers. With the huge population you could only imagine what it would be like during rush hour. The city is famous for it’s traffic jams, and this is one of the biggest complaints you hear from locals, but if you are just visiting it really is amazing to see. Just to witness the sheer volume of vehicles on the road is mind blowing, driving in Bangkok is definitely not for the faint of heart.
There are two main airports in Bangkok, Suvarnabhumi Airport (New Bangkok Int’l), and Don Mueang International Airport (Old Bangkok Int’l). If you are flying internationally you will be arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, as the Don Mueang International Airport was closed in 2006 after the opening of the new airport. Don Mueang has since reopened for domestic flights through Nok Air, as well as One-Two-GO Airlines.
Once you have arrived transportation is no problem. Simply walk out of the airport and there will be a dozen or more men offering cabs. They will negotiate a fare with you then call the cabbie to drive up to collect you within seconds. One thing to be careful of is unmetered taxi’s. Whatever you do, make sure that the taxi you are getting into is metered. There are many “cabs” that are just locals who will take you in their car, charge you an obscene fare, and possibly take you to a destination other than what you had requested. If you find yourself getting pushed into an unmetered taxi be polite but firm in saying no, Thais are not keen on loosing face in front of others. Once they realize you won’t be easily persuaded they will swiftly move on to the next potential fare. Many of the hotels offer airport transfer as well, so be sure to ask if that is an available service when booking your room.
Once the host of a major rice market in Bangkok, Khaosan Road is now a tourist hot spot and the perfect place to base yourself while arranging travel in Thailand. It is a short road in the Phra Nakhon district that caters to small and big budget travellers alike. You can pretty much find anything you need on Khaosan Road from budget to luxury m, travel agents, flip flops, home furnishings, pubs, clubs, restaurants, roadside food vendors…you name it, you’ll find it here. (Transportation from the Airport to Khaosan Road should cost no more than 400 Thai baht including tolls)
Whether your budget is large or small you will surely be able to take in all of what Bangkok has to offer. Amazingly only $20 U.S. will pay for one night’s accommodation, three good sized meals, and sightseeing for the day. If you have a larger budget, say, $100+ per day, you can live like royalty!
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Great post! Compared to many other major international cities, I found Bangkok extremely easy to navigate, the people are friendly, and it’s extremely affordable even for budget travelers. Even if someone isn’t normally a fan of big cities, Bangkok is still worth a visit because it has such a distinct flair.
I mentioned this in another post, but a good tip for traveling in Bangkok is that if you negotiate, you can arrange a taxi to take you around all day, anywhere you want to go, and have the driver wait for you as you go and visit different spots. This is a good idea if you plan to go to a bunch of places in one day (as opposed to visiting one or two place and staying at each place for several hours at a time). Hiring an all-day taxi might be a good idea for families. Our taxi only costed $55 for a whole day. Where else in the world can you get a personal chauffeur to escort you around a major capital city for only $55 for the whole day?? Our driver was very friendly and spoke a bit of English, so we got to learn about Bangkok and Thailand from an insider’s point of view. It was excellent!